Sr. Rani Maria Vattalil, born on 29th January 1954, was a member of the Syro-Malabar Church and a professed religious in the Franciscan Clarist Congregation in India. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to the service of the poor and marginalized within the Diocese of Indore, where she worked as a social worker.

The famous song in Hindi penned by Mrs Lizy K Fernandez brings out the true faith and spirit of courageous martyr Blessed Rani Maria

Childhood
Rani Maria Vattalil was born on 29th January 1954 in the small village of Pulluvazhy, located near Perumbavoor town in the Indian state of Kerala. She was the second child of Paily and Eliswa, and had six siblings - Stephen, Annie, Varghese, Thressiamma, Celine (also known as Sr. Selmy Paul) and Lucy.

Growing up, Rani Maria's parents instilled in her a strong sense of faith and a deep commitment to helping others. Her brother Stephen remembers her as a girl who was quiet and unassuming, but always eager to assist those in need. Rani Maria was deeply loved by her family, and her mother was especially proud of her obedient and kind-hearted daughter, whom she affectionately called Marykunju, meaning 'Little Mary'.

Despite her humble upbringing, Rani Maria was a diligent student, and her excellent performance in her SSLC examination earned her a place at St. Joseph's High School in Trippunithura.

Champion of the Vulnerable
Sr Rani Maria understood that education was the key to freeing people from exploitation. With the approval of the Bishop, she started to educate children in the villages. She convinced parents to allow their children to attend her school, which began with only 20 students but has now grown to over 800.

Sr Rani Maria's favorite invocation during her work was the name of Jesus, a habit she kept until her last breath. She made her final profession of vows in 1980 and continued her work as a coordinator of social activities in Odagady. She also served as a local superior and received a degree in Sociology from Rewa University.

Sr Rani Maria was transferred to Udayanagar in 1992, where she was the first Christian missionary to visit Kaala Pani, a village under the Udayanagar mission. She urged men loitering in the village to quit wasting their time drinking and explained the ill effects of alcoholism. The men listened but persisted until the day Sr Rani Maria caught them defaulting on their promise to quit. She inspired them to work and quit drinking, gradually improving their lives.

Sr Rani Maria worked tirelessly for the poor and oppressed people, responding to the call of God to be His hands and heart amidst the needy. She stood for the rights of the people and dedicated her life to their upliftment. She started self-help groups for women, which adversely affected the business of the moneylenders, liberating the women from their exploitation.

Paying the price
On February 25, 1995, Sr Rani Maria, planned to go to her native place, Kerala, and boarded a bus. Among the 50 passengers in the bus, there were three men who were united in their purpose of killing her.

Jeevan Singh, the leader of the group, began to insult Sr Rani, questioning her motives for helping the poor tribal people and accusing her of trying to convert them to Christianity. He made it clear that they would not allow this to happen.

When the bus reached a jungle area about 20 kilometers from Udainagar, Samandhar Singh got down from the bus and broke a coconut against a roadside stone. He re-entered the bus and distributed pieces of the coconut to the passengers, offering one to Sr Rani but then withdrew it. When she asked him why he was so happy, he drew out a knife and stabbed her in the stomach. He continued to stab her repeatedly, deaf to her cries, and then dragged her out of the bus and stabbed her to death.

Jesus –Sr Rani’s Last Words
Despite sustaining 40 major injuries and 14 bruises, she continued to call out to “Jesus” during the attack. The police informed the nuns of her death and her remains were transported to the Bishop's House to be prepared for her funeral.

Forgiven
Samandar Singh, the man who murdered Sister Rani Maria, was eventually forgiven by her family and the Catholic Church. In 2002, Sister Selmy, a fellow nun, met Singh while he was serving a life sentence in prison. She believed that he was genuinely repentant and had undergone a spiritual transformation. In 2006, Sister Selmy and Singh wrote a letter to Sister Rani's family, expressing remorse and asking for forgiveness. The family, after much consideration and prayer, decided to forgive Singh. The Catholic Church also forgave him, and in 2018, he was released from prison after serving 22 years.

Sister Rani Maria, professed sister of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation cause was cleared for beatification on March 23, 2017 was declared ‘Blessed’ at a ceremony held on November 4 in Indore.